Pallet



Jan. 13, 1959 ROBINSON PALLET 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 1954 JNVENTOR. floM/RRp -R B pM5 h J m. 13, 1959 A. ROBINSON V PALLET Filed May 10. 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. flowing likes/M50, BY f rraewiys PALLET :H'oward'A. Robinsouwlndianapolis, Ind.,:assignor to Hugh .J. Baker& Companyylndianapolis, Ind., a corporation of Indiana Application May 10,1954, SerialNo. 428,410

:fClaims. (ti1l.1248120) .This invention relates to 'materials=handling pallets, and

'has for'its objectfthe provision. of a palletof durable :cept thatfrom the lower plate there-are punched out vfour rectangular segments, each froma quadrantgof the .rplate, toleave a rectangularrborder frame havingthemidpoints .of .its sides integrally interconnected by crossed webs. Transverse and longitudinal plate-spacing ribs radiate from a central post, and run 'along .the crossed :WCbSrOf .the lower plate. spacing ribs is formed by a pair of similar sheet-metal Conveniently, each of :such

stampings of a generaliG-shape in cross-section arranged .with their.-central portions juxtaposed to form, a ,central "web 'andwith their edge portions turned outwardly to form flanges secured to the upper and lower plates. To avoid interference with the fork of a fork-lift truck or similar handling device, large openings are punched in the webs of the spacing ribs, and the upper and lower edges of such openings are desirably embraced by sheetmetal stiffeners. At the center of the pallet, the webforming portions of one pair of aligned ribs desirably extend inwardly beyond their associated flanges and are bent away from each other and secured to the webs of the other two ribs to form the hollow center post previously mentioned. Desirably, the pallet includes corner posts extending between and interconnecting the upper and lower plates at the corners thereof; and, if desired, supplementary posts or struts may be provided to interconnect the upper and lower plates at intermediate points along their edges.

By a proper selection of dimensions the metal punched from each quadrant of the lower plate may be employed as the stock from which are formed the rib-forming members, and the supplementary posts or struts to be located at intermediate points of the edges of the pallet. Similarly, the metal punched from the webs of the ribforming members may be used to form the aforesaid stifleners.

The accompanying drawings illustrate my invention:

Fig. 1 is an isometric view of a pallet showing the general arrangement of its components, with portions of the top-plate broken away for clarity of presentation;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of a portion of Fig. 3, and illustrating a preferred center-post construction;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through the pallet on the line 3-3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an end elevation thereof, partially in section, taken on the line 55 of Fig. 3.

The pallet shown in the drawings comprises a top plate and bottom plate 12, desirably identical in size and United States Patent ICC overall shape, each formed from a rectangular sheet .of sheet metal the end edges and side edges of which are bent to provide stiffening beads 14 generally V-shaped in section and terminating in a lip 15 spot-welded. or otherwise secured to the plate. From each quadrant of the lower plate 12 'I punch out a rectangular sheet to leave longitudinal and transverse webs 16 and 18.

The upper and lower plate are interconnected by platespacing rlibs each of which conveniently comprises a pair of sheetmetal stampings 20 each of a generally C-shape in cross-section and having their edge portions :bcnt. along longitudinal lines to terminate in flanges 22 engaging and secured as by spotwelding the ,opposedfaces of the upper and lower plates. The central portions 24 of each pair of members20 are juxtaposed .to form ,a vertical web and are desirably connected to thefflanges 22 through oblique web-portionsjZS. I

To prevent the plate-spacingribs from interfering with the insertion of the fork of a fork-lift truck, the central portions of the webs 24 are cut outto leave openings 2,6.

The upper andlower edges of such openings 26imay be embraced by reinforcing or stiffening members 28. Conveniently, each opening 26 extends vertically from the upper to the lower oblique web-portions .25, and each stiffening member 28 is L-shaped in ,cross1section to fit against and besecured to such oblique web portions as ,by spotwelding.

.Outwardlyl-beyond the openingZfi in each rib, the webforming portions 24 thereof may be offset to provide vertically. extending stiffeningribs 2?,

Both the longitudinal and transversenplaterspacing,ribs are similarly formed except at their. inner ends. Here,

.the webs'.24 of onepair of. aligned ribsprojectinwaljdly beyond the .inner ends of ,their aS-SQciated flangesQZZ to provi'de"web-extensionsSt). The two web-extensionsififl of each rib are bent to diverge and be secured as by spotwelding to the webs of the other two ribs, thus forming a central post or column as will be clear from Fig. 3. At their upper and lower edges, the web-extensions 30 are provided with outturned integral cars 32 which are co planar with the flanges 22 of the ribs and which, like such flanges, may be welded to the upper and lower plates.

At the outer ends of each of the transverse and longitudinal ribs, I provide intermediate posts 34 to give extra mutual support to the two plates. As shown, such intermediate posts may be of sheet metal bent into a hollow, generally square cross-section. Opposed walls of each such post 34 are notched to receive the beads 14, and are welded in place.

At each corner of the pallet, I provide corner posts 38, each desirably formed as a tube or hollow cylinder having outwardly flared ends which telescope over annular flanges 4t) pressed interiorly of the pallet from each of the top plate It) and lower plate 12.

By a proper selection of dimensions, the rib-forming members 20 and the intermediate struts 34 may be formed from blanks cut from metal removed in forming the openings in the lower plate. In order that such blanks may be long enough to provide stock for the web-extensions 30, the upper and lower plates and the openings punched in the lower plate are oblong and the web-extensions are provided on the transverse, or shorter, plate-spacing ribs. The blanks from which the members 20 are formed run lengthwise of the oblong openings in the lower plate, and the length of each such opening desirably exceeds its width by an amount at least equal to the developed length of each web-extension 30. This makes it possible for the continuous marginal portion of the lower plate to have the same width on all sides of such plate, for the Webs l6 and 18 to be of the same width, for the inner ends of the plate-spacing ribs proper to be located at the same distance from the center of the pallet, and for the outer ends of such ribs to be located at the same distance from the sides and ends of the pallet.

The reinforcing or stiffening members 28 may be formed from the material removed in producing the'openings 26 in the webs 24 of the ribs.

By the above construction, I provide a low-cost, lightweight pallet of strong and durable character, a pallet most of whose parts may be economically fabricated from two identical sheetsof sheet metal with little scrap.

While I have shown and described a specific embodiment of my invention, I intend to cover all changes and modifications of the illustrated example which do not constitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. A materials handling pallet, comprising lower and upper spaced plates interconnected by a central column having two mutually perpendicular pairs of pallet-stiffening ribs radiating therefrom, each of said ri-bs comprising -two sheet metal'members of a general C-shape'having juxtaposed vertical webs and out-turned flanges secured to said plates, said flanges at the inner ends of one pair of aligned ribs being cut away to leave the webs projecting beyond the inner edge of the flanges and constituting extensions which are bent out of the planes of the respectively associated webs and secured to the webs of the other ribs to provide such column.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said webextensions have upper and lower integral ears extending horizontally from the upper and lower edges thereof, to lie against and strengthen the upper and lower palletplates.

3. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said ribforming members are provided with horizontally extending openings adapted to receive the lift-fork of a materials-handling device, at least the upper edge of each such openings being faced with sheet metal folded to overlie said edge. 1

4. A materials handling pallet, comprising upper and lower sheet metal plates, the edge portions of each said plate being bent to form hollow stiflening beads terminating in lips engaging and secured to the plate at a distance from the margins thereof, and means extending between and secured to said plates for interconnecting them in vertically spaced relation, the beads on the upper plate being on the lower side thereof, said interconnecting means comprising a rib having a vertical web provided with a horizontally elongated opening, the upper edge of said opening and the bottoms of said beads being substantially coplanar.

5. A materials handling pallet, comprising upper and lower sheet metal plates, the edge portions of each said plate being bent to form hollow stiffening beads terminating in lips engaging and secured to the plate at a distance from the margins thereof, and means extending between and secured to said plates for interconnecting'them in vertically spaced relation, said means comprising a tubular post extending vertically between said plates, the ends of said posts being flared and the metal of the plates in line with the tube being formed into flanges received in the flared post ends.

' References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 167,339 Jerrold Aug. 31, 1875 2,463,214 Stoner Mar. 1, 1949 2,469,455 Donahue et al May 10, 1949 2,486,284 Horwitz Oct. 25, 1949 2,568,582 Farrar Sept. 18, 1951 2,602,619 McIntyre July 8, 1952 2,625,289 Murphy Jan. 13, 1953 I "FOREIGN PATENTS 609,769 Great Britain Oct. 6, 1948 

